Electric starting device for internal-combustion engines.



L. RENAULT.

ELECTRIC STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-6. 1913.

1 ,1 62,309, I Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT ouuioa.

LOUIS RENAULT, OF BILLANGQURT, FRANCE.

-ELECTRIC STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERKAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known .that I, LOUIS RENAULT, a

citizen of the French Republic, residing at Billancourt, Department of the Seine, in 5 France, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Electric Starting Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a.

full, clear, and exact description of the in- 1 vention, such as will enable others skilled in.

the art to which it appertains 'to make and use the same. The invention relates to automobile vehicles driven by internal combustion engines )tricgenerator for the illumination. of the vehicle and'for charging a battery of .accumulators. v a

The principle of the invention consists in 20 operating the generator as a motor by means of the current supplied by the battery of accumulators so that the generator will act to Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov, 30, 1915.

Application filed August 6, 1913. Serial No. 783,397.

5, are arranged in such a, manner that their action, which tends to, move the weights 6 away from the center, increases in proportion to the displacement of these. weights so that once the latter are in motion the action of the springs 9 is added to the centrifugal force. lhe weights 6 are provided externally of the flywheel so as to be within a hollow plate 11.mounted upon a shaft in alinement with that of the generator shaft but not connected therewith.

It will be understood from the foregoing of the kind which are equipped with an elecgure 1 is a broken elevation, partly in section, of the startingmechanism showing 1 the general arrangement of parts; Fig. 2 is a sectional. view of the automatic clutch mechanism employed; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of 'amodified form of the automatic clutch mechanism. a r

1 designates a shaft driven by the engine and serving to rotate the g'enerator 2, for

instance, by means of the two pinions-3 and 4. A free wheel device 19 is interposed between the pinion 4: and the generator 2 so as to permit the, generator to operate as a mo- 40 tor. This arrangement operates in the ordinary manner when the dynamo isdriven by the engine, either to charge the accumu- The mechanism. which serves to start the engine lators or to illuminate the vehicle.

bymeans of the generator and which forms the object of the present'invention is as follows: The shaft of the generator carries a W hese weights .pivot about axes'7 provided on. the flywheel 5 and under the action of centrifugal force-are adapted to move away from the center to? ward which they are caused to return, when I inoperative, by means of the springs 8. Compression s rings 9 guided within casirigs 10. pivote about 24 upon the flywheel flywheel 5 in which weights 6 are mounted (see details in Fig. 2)..

description that as soon as the generator attains a certain speed, the weights 6' will move outwardly and bear upon the inner part of the plate 11. The action of the centrifugal force is increased by that of the springs 9 as afor-e stated; so as to cause the instantaneous rotation of the plate 11. The springs 9 act in such a direction with respect to the pivot points of the weights t at when the weights are thrown outwardly a predetermined distance by centrifugal force, the springs 9 will cause a-sudden eng'agem'ent between the weights and the plate 11. The flywheel, therefore, does not rotate the 'plate 11 gradually, but is suddenly connected therewith so. that the internal combustion engine will be rotated at sufficient speed to start the same immediately upon the engagement of the weights with The shaft the plate 11. A 12 to which the plate 11 is keyed,

( drives the shaft 14 by means of a free wheel device 13 comprising pawls carried by the latter shaft 12. A pinion 15 slides by means of grooves, upon the shaft 14 and meshes with the teeth 16 formed on the periphery of the flywheel 17 of the engine.

.The o eration of the device is as follows: T e whole arrangement being at rest, the driver slides; by means of anyoperating device 18, the pinion 15 on the shaft 14 so as to cause pin on 15 to mesh with teeth 16;

he then causes thecurrent supplied by the accumulators to. pass to the generator 2;

the latter at once starts to rotate and as .soon asit has acquired. a sufiiciently high speed, the weights G'bear upon the interior of the plate-11 which drives the shaft 12 and, by means of the pawl device 13 drives gine which is thus started. As soon as the internal combustion engine has picked up speed, the pinion 15 rotates faster than the shaft 12 driven by the generator. At this the pinion'15 and the flywheel 17 of the enmomenttlic free wheel device 13 cgmes into operation and its pawls move away from the ratchet wheel under the influence of 'cen trifugal force; the driver now separates pinion 15 and teeth 16 by sliding the pinion 15 upon the shaft 14 by means of the device '18.

Fig. 3 shows a portion of a modified construction which enables the free wheel 19 to be dispensed with. According to this modi fication a drum 20 is driven by the generator, Uponthis-drumweights22 are caused to bear by means of the sprlngs 21, said weights being mounted upon axes 23 integral with a flywheel 5. These weights 22, under the infliience of centrifugal force, bear upon the interior of the plate 11, as in the other form described above. In this modification,

while the speed of the. generator is low, the weights 22 remain upon the drum 20 so that the flywheel 5 is driven at the same speed as the-generator, the plate .11 remain- 7 mg, on the contrary, idle; as soon asthe' generator has attained a suflicient speed,

the weights 22 now move away from the drum 20 under-the influence of centrifugal force and this latterforce increased by the action ofthe springs 9, as in the other form, causes these weights to bear upon the in- 'terior of the plate 11- which, in itsturn, is

a driven. It will be seen in this second device the generator-does not start the engine' directly. It merely serves to imparta high speed tothe flywheel 5 and-it is the mic mm of the flywheel which'starts; the engine. It

'mus'tbe'noted that also in the first case the flywheel :5 is turned ,to good use for starting the enginejbecause atthis time its was vioaincreases the force-furnished by the gen- 1 erator. 1

driven shaft adapted combustion engine, a, I with the motor, couplin engine.

- V g'weights' carried by the fly-wheel andad tgd t bgthmwni -outwardly by centrifugal force, the said 'driven' shaft having a part tobe engaged bysaid weights when thrown outwardly to' thereby connect the fly-wheel with the driven shaftyand means to cause sudden engagement between. the weights and the part with which they engage. a v

2. The combination of a motor, a fly-wheel driven thereby, an internal combustion en gine normally disconnected from the flywheel, a centrifugal clutch interposed between the fly-wheel and theengine, and spring mechanism so associated with said clutch as to suddenly connect the fly-wheel with the engine when the ',former attains suflicient speed;

3. Th'combination of amotor,afly-wheel driven. thereby, an internal .combustion 'engine normally disconnected from the flywheel, and a centrifugal clutch interposed between thefly-wheel and the engine adapted to disconnect the .fiy-wheel' from the I motorwhen the former attains, sufiicient speed and to connect :the same with the 4. The combination of a motona driven shaft normally disconnected from said i motor, an internal combustion engineadapted to be started from said driven shaft, 9. fiy wheel associated with the motor, coupling weights carried by the fly wheel and adapted to be thrown outwardly by cen-. trifugal force, said driven shaft having a part to be engaged byv said weightsjwhen thrown outwardly to thereby connect the fly Wheel with the driven shaft, and springs for causing suddenengagement between sald weights and said part after the weights are "thrown outwardly a predetermined distance by centrifugal force.

In testimony whereof I aflix' my signature, in presence of two witnesses. 1

, LOUIS RENAULT. :.Witnesses: Q I HANSON C. Coxn,-

EMILE Kno'ra. 

